ALETHEIA
Volume XXVI, Number 3 Montreal-Anderson College
September 22,1992
Admissions Changes for
Future Growth
— Lance Determined to Recover from Dagley
by Ashley B. Perry
For the past several years,
Montreat-Anderson allowed a pri
vate consulting firm to handle the
admissions process. During the
middle of last year, however, M-AC
regained its control of the admisssions
process.
About four years ago, D.H.
Dagley and Associates was hired by
M-AC to handle the admissions of
the school. During that time, the
number of students staying for
Montreat's four-year programs
dropped below expected numbers.
The quality of student also
changed during this time. Many of
the incoming freshman were not fa
miliar with Montreat's Christian
background. Academic standards
also dropped slightly.
According to Charles Lance,
head of admissions. President Hurt
felt that the college "needed to get
back to an admissions philosophy
that matched the goals of the school."
"We are looking to recruit
Alumni, not Freshman," affirmed
Lance.
This change, from "generic re
cruiting" to Christian recruiting, led
the college to expect fewer students
to attend than in past years. Some
students and campus organizations
fear this drop in attendance may af
fect the financial stability of the
school.
"Of course there will be less
money to go around. President Hurt
wants to give the best quality, Chris
tian-oriented, program available with
students who are willing and desir
ing of this type of program... Aca
demic and spiritual motivation is the
key here, not necessarily the dollars
and cents."
Montreat will never have an
enrollment in excess of650i accord
ing to Lance. But this year. Admis
sions has found almost 5000 pro
spective students for the fall of 1993,
almost twice the number of pros
pects this time last year.
Lance considers this year's
freshman class to be the "best aca
demically-equipped" class in his rec
ollection. Consequently, he feels
that the admission process has
changed for the better, despite the
effects on campus finance.
Photo Courtesy of Tom Hildgers
Christain Alternative Band say-so to visit M-AC on September 24th.
say-so
- Artsy Pop Music Comes to M-AC
by Paul Shockley
The Christain alternative
band Say-So is coming to Montreat
September 24. The husband-wife
duo of Jim and Kim Thomas will be
speaking at Chapel Thursday
morning and will be performing at
8 p.m. Admission is free to students
and members of the community.
Say-So comes “highly
recommended” according to Tom
Hilgers, Director of S tudent Affairs.
Say-So is based in Nashville and
have been active in speaking and
performing for various Christain
organizations.
According to "You
have to make choices if you're
going to be a Christian in your
culture. You choose or refuse God
everyday and at every moment.
Their musical style, which
is backed up by Bobby Blazier and
Matthew Pierson, is one that could
be categorized as folk-alternative
with a straight and definite
Christain message.
Day Students Seek Recognition, SGA Funds
by David T. Caldwell
Several pleasant
surprises greeted com
muter students this fall.
Effective August 25,
the parking area in front
of McGregor has been
set aside for off-cam-
pus students; chapel/
convocation require
ments have been sus
pended for those com
muters who live over
thirty miles away, work
more than thirty hours
a week or are single
parents (subject to in
dividual case ap
proval); and McGregor lobby has
been converted into a lounge ex
pressly for use by off-campus stu
dents.
Dean Hargrove said that he.
Day Students take time for photo -op last semester
"would like to see two or three major
events held in McGregor for the com
muter students and their families."
Suggestions so far range from a "full
on" commuter student party to a cof
fee house evening featur
ing Christian folk artists.
Whatever activities are fi
nally chosen and approved
by the Dean, at least some
of the expense may be un
derwritten by an allotment
of student activities' mon
ies distributed by the SGA.
Cary Willcox, the
Commuter Student Rep
resentative to the SGA pre
sented a petition to the
SGA Budget Committee
on Tuesday, September 13.
This committee makes
suggestions as to the man
ner in which finances are
to be dispersed.
The proposal is then passed on
to the Executive Committee -- sched
uled to meet yesterday - where indi
vidual items are passed or killed.
From there it goes to the Legislative
Committee, which will take a final
vote on the proposal.
At present, the off-campus stu
dent proposal requests five dollars
for each individual enrolled full-time.
This is proportionately the same al
lotment as requested by dorm stu
dent petitions.
The sudden increase in the off-
campus student population may have
caught the administration off guard
last year. But the college authorities
appear to be making needed changes
on behalf of the current roster of
approximately seventy-five commut
ers.
Dean Hargrove has held meet
ings with commuter students the aim
of which were to, "assure the off-
campus student that he or she should
feel like part of the school."